How to File a Home School Plan in Massachusetts
Homeschooling has surged over the past decade as a schooling option in the United States. Since 2003, more home schoolers are homeschooling for non-religious reasons than for religious reasons, and with nearly 2 million school aged children now being home schooled, the trend is just continuing. Homeschooling is regulated by the individual states, and each states has a different set of criteria it places on home schoolers, to hold homeschooling parents accountable for their child's education. In some states, for instance, parents must has a high school diploma or even a Bachelor's degree to be permitted to home school their children, while in other states the parents simply must send a short letter informing the school district that they will home school for the coming year. Learn how to file a home school plan in Massachusetts, and how this state's homeschooling laws differ from most.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer with internet access
- paper
- envelope
- post office certified mail, return receipt paperwork
Instructions
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How to File a Home School Plan in Massachusetts
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Go to Massachusetts Home Learning Association's website to read about home schooling experiences from families in your school district. Massachusetts law gives each school district control over homeschooling policy, so how your district handles home schooling will dictate your experience.
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Call your school district's offices and request any paperwork associated with homeschooling. Some school districts have a specific form they request you complete when home schooling. It is not a legal requirement to complete this form; this is simply district policy in some areas. You cannot be denied the right to homeschool in Massachusetts if you do not complete a specific form, however,
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Read the Charles and Brunell cases, which dictate case law for homeschooling in Massachusetts. While each district has control over homeschooling policies, the schools cannot violate the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts' rulings on homeschooling. For instance, while homeschooling families are required to file a home school plan with the district, the district cannot require that you submit a daily schedule, or that your home be visited by a school official.
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Compare your district's policies with the Massachusetts Home Learning Association's suggested home school plan, and with the Charles and Brunell cases. If your school district appears to require information on your home school plan that they cannot legally require, know that you are not compelled to give this information, and you have the law on your side. You are, of course, welcome to give them whatever information you choose.
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Write a letter outlining your homeschool plan. You are required by case law to give your name, address, the names of the children and their ages/grade equivalents. You must state that you will give 900 hours of instruction per year (990 for high school-age students) and list the specific subjects you will cover. Your district can ask for a list of books or materials used for curriculum; you are not required to give this in your plan. Send the letter certified mail, return receipt. This proves that you sent the letter. Send your plan to the school district no less than 30 days before school begins.
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Proceed to homeschool. Under Massachusetts case law you can homeschool even without an approved home school plan. You can also remove a child from school and home school while waiting for a response from the school district. The burden of providing the grounds for rejecting a home school plan is on the school district, so it is perfectly lega to home school without an approved home school plan.
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Tips & Warnings
Document everything, and keep copies of all correspondence with the school district.
Know your rights, and call a lawyer if needed. For $115 per year, Home School Legal Defense Association will provide legal coverage should you require a lawyer to defend your right to homeschool.
You cannot be forced to enroll your child without a court order.
